


Lights Out

by finish_line



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23801815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finish_line/pseuds/finish_line
Summary: It looks like a normal dormitory. In fact, matters of spiritual and supernatural nature that happen in the building seem to affect only a few, which warrants minimal concern. But Mai and perhaps the rest of SPR know better. Like Naru's usual directive, they cannot let their guards down. Especially now that Gene has laid out a special plan. // Post-Akumu no Sumu Ie
Relationships: Shibuya Kazuya/Taniyama Mai
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set directly after the Akumu no Sumu Ie epilogue. There are details in the novels (both Ghost Hunt and Akumu no Sumu Ie) that may or may not be in the anime or manga. I might use these details as the story progresses, so if you're interested to read the novels in English, you can search for them in the [novelupdates website](https://www.novelupdates.com/series/akumu-no-sumu-ie-ghost-hunt/).
> 
> **Trigger Warning** : Mentions of suicide.

PROLOGUE

_It was dark. She was famished. Little by little, she was finding it quite hard to breathe. She felt like all four corners of where she was in was closing into her. The only thing she could hear was her rapid heartbeat, but she doubted that it would be the case in the coming hours._

" _Help me."_

_If only someone could come and hear her. If only…_

* * *

18:30  
Tokyo, Dogenzaka in Shibuya

Taniyama Mai cheerfully entered the Shibuya Psychic Research office and hummed along to a fun tune she overheard from a café. October was getting chillier as days went on, and Mai wondered if it was high time they buy a new portable heater. The one in their storage room seemed like it was going to die if moved.

"Mai?" called out a cool voice from one of the rooms. It was her boss, Naru.

"Yes, reporting for duty!" she answered. Mai dropped her bag on her chair and proceeded to the office's kitchenette.

"You're late," she heard Naru say.

She frowned. It would be better if Naru would learn to say something nice first things first. Also, it was not like it was her fault she was late—well, partly. Aside from finishing an afterschool task a little later than she should have, she had just come across Hirota Seigi as she was going to work. At the memory of the older man, Mai shook her head.

Hirota was definitely hopeless when it came to women. Mai noticed this during the case in Agawa Midori's house. She just didn't know it was really bad until she talked with him tonight. She hoped Nakai Saki would be his saving grace.

"I came across Hirota-san inside the train, and we chatted for a while," said Mai a little loudly. She had grown accustomed to talking to Naru while she was in the kitchenette and him in his office. "Remember when Agawa-san consulted us if she could sell the house? It turns out they ended up moving out. Hirota-san confirmed this, and it appears that Agawa-san and her mother are back to renting once again."

She carefully poured water into the brewer.

"By the way, I was thinking about getting a new portable heater, of course with your permission. It's getting colder. It would be better to be prepared sooner than later, don't you think?" There was no reply. "Naru?"

The tea was starting to brew, and Mai hadn't received a response from Naru yet. Curious, she went out and checked him in his room. As usual, her dark-haired boss sat behind his desk with his prized laptop in front of him but on the visitor's chair sat a middle-aged woman. Across the woman was the broody Lin Koujo, who was also taking notes on his own laptop.

"Oh, I didn't know we have a visitor," Mai managed to say. She grinned apologetically. "I'm preparing tea. I'll be back in a jiffy."

When she returned to the kitchenette, she found Yasuhara Osamu, her fellow part-time office clerk, tending to the tea. He looked at her in surprise.

"Hey, Taniyama-san!" he greeted. "This is a first—you arrived earlier than me today."

Mai proudly raised her chin and looked at Yasuhara under her nose. "Well, that's because I'm a model part-timer. You should learn from me, Yasuhara-san."

Yasuhara smiled and adjusted his thin-framed glasses. "You're one to talk, aren't you, Taniyama-san? I doubt Boss would agree given your record of tardiness and overall incompetency."

The smile on Mai's face faltered. She bet Naru would no doubt call her a tardy and an idiot. She hated how Yasuhara could push this much on her face, so she settled on swatting him lightly on the arm.

"I hate you!" she grumbled. She started pouring tea in the chinaware Yasuhara had set up while she was briefly away. "Just help me serve these to Naru, Lin-san, and the client."

Yasuhara laughed heartily and did as he was told.

When they arrived in Naru's office, it seemed that the interview had just concluded. The client smiled to them in thanks as she received her cup of tea from Mai.

"Again, I apologize for coming to your office this late," said the woman. "Thank you for accommodating me, and I appreciate the tea."

"That's black tea," said Mai. She smiled at the woman. "Let me know if you want additional milk and sugar."

The woman shook her head and smiled at her serenely. "I'm OK," she said. The woman paused and timidly added, "I guess the rumors are true. Not only is the boss of this group so young, even the employees are."

Mai snuck a look at Naru's direction, but he was busy reading his notes. She timidly regarded the woman. "We always get that. But rest assured that we do our job well. By the way, as our boss does not seem inclined to do so, allow me to introduce ourselves."

The woman looked embarrassed. "Oh, my bad. I haven't introduced myself, too. I'm Watanabe Emiko. I'm a dormitory manager, and I am probably what you'd call your new client."

_Dormitory manager?_ thought Mai.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Taniyama Mai, a part-time investigator for SPR"—at this, Watanabe looked surprised—"while this one here is my fellow part-timer, Yasuhara Osamu-san. We also call him our resident _Shounen Tanteidan_."

"The title's a bit too much, but it encapsulates my role in the team—sort of the detective _…_ researcher at best," said Yasuhara. He grinned and bowed slightly. "At any rate, it's nice to meet you, Watanabe-san."

Watanabe, although still a little surprised, gave them a respecting bow. "It is nice to meet you all. I will be in your care."

Mai looked at Naru. "That means we'll take this case?"

Whatever the case was about, it must be of interest to Naru. In Mai's experience with working with him, Naru was incredibly picky. In fact, it appeared that the only reason he decided to come back to Japan after going home to England was the lack of interesting spiritual cases in his home country.

During the short time Naru and Lin had been away, the office and overall operations were left to Madoka Mori. Mai remained as a part-time worker and Yasuhara soon joined officially. They had taken a couple of cases even in the absence of the two men.

It was Lin who answered. "Yes. At which regard I hope you and Yasuhara-san could brief Watanabe-san with our requirements."

Yasuhara did a quick salute. "Yes, Boss!" He regarded the older woman. "If you'll follow me please, Watanabe-san."

Mai was about to join Yasuhara who was guiding Watanabe to the lobby when Naru finally called out to her. He was regarding her with the usual blank face she hoped would smile once in a while.

At the thought of a smiling Naru, Mai's heart fluttered, and a certain name appeared in her mind.

"Give the others a call and see if they can join us in this case. Call time would be tomorrow, 9 in the morning." Naru narrowed his eyes at her. "Regardless if they can join us, do _not_ be late."

"What about the details?" she asked curiously. " _I_ don't even know what the case will be about."

Naru sighed. "For your sake, let me explain in a way even a five-year-old would understand."

Mai glared and huffed in incredulity. _Why, youuuu!_ she thought. This guy was incorrigible.

Lin made a suspicious curt sound that Mai could almost imagine was his own version of laughter.

"Why do you think I'm calling for a meeting tomorrow at 9?" To Mai's opinion, Naru hadn't looked this exasperated in a long while. "I intend to brief everyone of the details before we leave for the case's location. And I repeat, do _not_ be late."

"Fine, I'm a simpleton, all right!" She pouted and rolled her eyes. She was already by the door when she looked back and narrowed her eyes to Naru. "And don't worry, I _won't_ be late!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything relating to Todai (except the address) from here onward is a wild guess. Mentions of Agawa-san's case refer to the Akumu no Sumu Ie arc. Also, the timeline assumes that Mai is now in her second year of high school, and Yasuhara is in his first year of college.

CHAPTER 1

DAY 1 8:20  
TOKYO, Dogenzaka in Shibuya

Mai grinned. Her wristwatch read 8:24. She couldn't wait to see Naru's surprised face when he saw her—if he and Lin were already in the office at all.

Before Naru and Lin arrived back in Japan, Naru's parents, the Davises, had bought their son a two-bedroom condominium unit just a few kilometers off Shibuya. It was to the chagrin of her boss, of course, but it looked like Naru could not say no to the highly persuasive Luella Davis. He ended up caving in and staying in the condo unit with Lin instead of spending thousands for a night in a hotel.

From Naru's residence, traffic to the SPR office was a little unbearable, if not uncomfortable. At least, that was according to Madoka, who had already been there. Putting her faith to Madoka's words, Mai would not be surprised if the two men would take a lot of time before they got to the office.

Naturally, that was wishful thinking, and Mai should have expected more from them—because there they were, sat coolly in the reception area, while the rest of the on-call team irregulars lounged comfortably on the sofas.

Mai literally felt her jaw drop.

"Good morning, Mai!" greeted Takigawa Housho. His bleached hair was not tied at all. If someone would ask Mai, she would say that she preferred Takigawa with a half-ponytail. "Congratulations on coming to work ways off early!"

The people that were sat around Naru played their roles and clapped while relaying their congratulations. To the surprise of Mai, even Lin played along with a small smile. She loved her friends dearly, but Mai would prefer it more if they would not tease her endlessly.

"What—how come you're all this early?"

_You have got to be kidding me!_

"You mean how come _you're_ this early?" Matsuzaki Ayako quipped. The woman reached over to the coffee table and took a cup of tea.

It looked like Yasuhara or one of the guys had already brewed some. Just how early did they report to work?

"If there's something to congratulate Mai about, I believe it should be her finally not getting Naru all riled up," said Hara Masako. She threw a condescending smile to Mai's direction before covering her mouth with her yukata-clad hand. "A first, don't you think?"

Mai flushed and pointed at each of her friends. "You!"

"Us?" asked John Brown, head tilted curiously to the side.

Mai sighed, her shoulders slumping, when she realized that John probably did not understand the context of her pointing at them. She was pointing in exasperation, and John just innocently couldn't get it.

"Anyway, let's stop teasing Taniyama-san," said John. He smiled and gently patted the space beside him. "Take a seat, so we could start early."

Naru was sat in the loveseat at the north of the coffee table. On his left were Takigawa and John. On his right were Lin, Masako, and Ayako. Yasuhara stood behind the couch where both Takigawa and John were and was also gesturing for Mai to seat beside John.

"Oh, Father John, Father John," Takigawa called. "You're way too kind."

Mai was sitting beside John when she said, "Please, Bou-san, John is definitely way above you."

"You're such a brat, you know that, jou-chan?" Takigawa, who was sat on John's right side, reached over and ruffled Mai's hair.

As soon as Mai sat and everyone had settled, Yasuhara pulled a chair and placed it on her left. Mai realized that their group was getting bigger, and the sofas just weren't cutting it whenever they convened for a meeting like this.

All their eyes traveled to Naru when he spoke for the first time since she arrived. His attention was directed at her, and Mai could feel heat creeping from her neck upward. "As Hara-san mentioned, congratulations on failing to rile me up this morning, Mai."

Mai heard a lot of badly concealed snickers.

"Say what?" she hissed, raising an angry fist. She gave Naru the best smile she could muster.

"But I would have preferred it more if you have been the one to make the tea."

Mai blinked at Naru and exchanged incredulous looks with Yasuhara. Was that a compliment—as best as a compliment from Naru could be?

"Which roughly translates to come to meetings even earlier, Mai," said Ayako. "Otherwise known as 'you did well today but I expect better.'"

There was another round of giggles and an annoyed grunt from Mai before they finally followed through their meeting's agenda.

"Our new client works at a place I believe you are all familiar with… or at least heard of," said Naru. He was now looking at the clipboard containing all his notes from the previous night's interview. "Her name is Watanabe Emiko, 53 years old, an associate professor for physics at the University of Tokyo, better known as Todai."

There were collective gasps from Mai and the others. Lin, who sat quietly beside Masako, remained coolly working on in his laptop.

 _Associate professor?_ thought Mai. _Wasn't she a dormitory manager?_

"Todai!" exclaimed Takigawa. He looked at Yasuhara. "Hey, shounen, didn't you take the entrance tests for Todai?"

Yasuhara grinned timidly and scratched the back of his head. "As a matter of fact, I did. However, as expected, Todai is incredibly hard to get into. I was unfortunately a few points behind the quota grade."

"It's still very cool that you did, Yasuhara-san!" exclaimed Mai.

"I appreciate that, Taniyama-san." Yasuhara sent Naru a sly smile. "I bet I would have done better had our Boss blessed me even just a small portion of his intelligence. Together with my already big brain and a tiny bit of his, I bet I would have made it in."

Mai laughed along with the others. Yasuhara's occasional conceitedness was a really good competition to their boss'.

"If you're all not interested in the case, I'm willing to drop this any time," said Naru, shutting his clipboard close.

Everyone was rendered silent while Yasuhara jokingly mimed zipping his mouth. At that, Naru resumed.

"Watanabe-sensei owns a private five-story dormitory for students a walking distance away from Todai. Dormers aren't exclusively from the same university, as some come from nearby community colleges as well."

"Dormitories are usually female or male-exclusive," commented Ayako. "Very rare are they co-ed. So this Watanabe-sensei's dormitory…?"

Naru nodded. "This dormitory that she runs is co-ed. The first two floors, which have five rooms each, are for the male students. The third and fourth floors, also with five rooms each, were for female students. The top floor is the cafeteria and study hub. Reception area and office are in the first floor.

"Watanabe-sensei would not have reached out until the students started threatening to boycott the building."

It was John who spoke next. "Why would they want to boycott the dorm?"

"As Watanabe-sensei does not live in the same building, she has had no experience in what the students were going through. They only ever reported sparsely. She hasn't experienced any of these personally."

"What kind of reports were these?" asked John.

"Watanabe-sensei is a physicist, and as such only believes in physical reasonings behind random instances," said Naru instead. "When students complained of random power interruptions at night, it looked like the suspect was faulty wiring. Call receptions are very bad, the same way they are in our previous case, Agawa-san's house.

"Students get locked up even when they're alone in the floor. Every night, students would hear harsh knocking on their doors, often distracting them from either sleep or their studies. In other words, more than these complaints, Watanabe-sensei is more worried about how these greatly affect their student services."

Masako looked thoughtful when she said, "Those look like results of unlucky instances. At least, in my opinion."

Naru nodded, but his eyes remained on his notes.

"Is this another placebo?" asked Takigawa.

"Placebo?" asked Ayako and Yasuhara.

It was Mai who answered, "Ah, both of you weren't there when Naru explained this. Bou-san is talking about the placebo effect, where the patient feels better after a treatment. However, that treatment does physically nothing, and the patient only felt better because he believed in the treatment."

"In short, you're only accepting this to placate the students' fears that the instances could be more than they actually are?" asked Yasuhara. But he looked confused. "If that's the case, what do we need the whole gang for in this case? And why the interest?"

"Because we're not after a placebo effect," said Lin finally, after a long silence. "In a meeting, it appeared that one of Watanabe-sensei's employees raised the fact that there have been three cases of suicide in the dormitory in the last one and a half years. This, along with the circumstances of the students, makes Watanabe-sensei not want to solve the problems half-heartedly."

The rest of the group looked sufficiently appalled.

"Three suicides in under two years?" Mai exclaimed. Dread overcame her, and she couldn't find the right words to express her feelings. "That's—That's—"

It looked like the others were rendered speechless as well, as everyone else gaped at both Lin and Naru.

"The reasons could vary, but we won't know for sure because not one of those students left any note behind," said Naru, as though Lin had not shared a surprising detail. "Investigating these is not our priority objective, but Watanabe-sensei wishes for us to look into it anyway."

Everyone still seemed surprised at the development of details. Mai's thoughts were all over the place, but they all pointed to the news that there were three students who took their lives in under two years. Mai finally understood the worry of the professor and dormitory owner, which pushed her to finally seek their help—there was a possibility that the three events could be not exclusive at all.

"As for the reason in taking the case, the reports alone do not warrant my personal interest," continued Naru. That just made everything more confusing for Mai. "As this statement could possibly confuse Mai more"—Mai grunted out an annoyed _Hey!_ —"let me clarify for her sake. Watanabe-sensei is a visiting professor in Cambridge and is an acquaintance of Madoka. I was hence instructed to look into the matter."

The last time Naru was instructed to accept a case, the situation went from normal to downright dangerous in a matter of two days. Mai gulped. It was at a time like this that she wishes she could once again channel her dreams to reach Gene, her spirit guide and Naru's older brother. It was selfish, but…

"And while the instances of Watanabe-sensei's dormitory could be simply physical, psychological, or maybe even supernatural, there is only one directive for everyone: do _not_ let your guard down."

They all nodded, albeit weakly.

"Roger that."

* * *

DAY 1 11:00  
TOKYO, Bunkyo City

As soon as the van stopped, Mai hopped off the vehicle and looked up at the five-story building. More than a dormitory, it looked like an apartment complex with balcony corridors on each floor, except the top and ground floor ones. From the exterior, it seemed that the building had been around for a few decades already. There was nothing off at first glance, but Mai couldn't be sure unless they got in.

Beside the building were a couple of parking spaces where they settled the van. The premises were lined with trees, and Mai wondered if any of these trees would be up to Ayako's preference.

Parked in the spot beside them was the white car that Takigawa and Ayako took. Masako and John both had prior commitments set after their early morning meeting and promised to join them after sun set. Yasuhara, on the other hand, was left to man the office and to tend to external research relating to the case at hand.

Mai had no idea what Naru's specific instructions were to Yasuhara, but she knew they had to be significant in the coming days.

As if she knew that they were already around, Watanabe Emiko appeared by the entrance of the building and greeted them. She courteously bowed a welcome to them that they returned.

"Welcome, and thank you for coming," said Watanabe. Her wrinkled face seemed to relax at the sight of the additional people with them. "I see that you have brought your specialists with you. My name is Watanabe Emiko. It's nice to meet you."

Both Takigawa and Ayako did not waste time introducing themselves. Mai also took the liberty to explain that additional specialists were expected to arrive by nighttime. As expected, it was not a problem at all for Watanabe.

"As requested last night, I have prepared one of the rooms as your base," said Watanabe after the exchange of pleasantries. "It would be here in 1F. I have also prepared another two rooms for your accommodations. Both are in 3F. I hope you don't mind that they are in separate floors."

"Oh no, it's all right!" assured Mai. If she didn't, she doubted her unconcerned boss would. "We'll manage."

Watanabe smiled and gestured towards the entrance. "That's good to hear. Come with me and I'll show you the rooms so you can start settling in."

Everything for Mai felt average—that was, nothing was out of the normal as far as her sixth sense went. At least, until she finally stepped foot inside the building.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Watanabe did not waste time touring Mai and the others in the dormitory.

While it looked old and weathered outside, the building was surprisingly very comfortable inside. The walls were newly painted a warm cream color, and the rest of the interior looked rather modern with its floors covered in tiles. In the first floor, the lobby was well-kept with colorful paintings and potted plants keeping it lively. There was one elevator in service and flights of stairs beside it.

A metallic reception booth was stationed near the lobby, too, which was apparently manned by Watanabe's nephew especially during weekdays. As soon as they had been shown to their base, Lin had volunteered to start the setup.

Mai was hesitant to leave Lin to do the hauling of equipment from the van to the base, especially given the scale of this investigation, but Ayako had insisted they move forward. The rest of the floors looked identical—the second floor, also occupied by male students like the first one was, had its own lobby by the elevator. The balcony corridor was lined with five different rooms with potted plants positioned beside each door. At the end of the open corridor was an entryway leading to communal change rooms, bathrooms, and toilets.

The third and fourth floors followed the same blueprint. The rooms they were assigned for accommodation were in the third floor, and Mai was glad that there was enough space to refrain Ayako from complaining. That meant there was enough space for the guys, too.

"I hope these rooms are enough for you to rest in," said Watanabe. She was showing them one of the two rooms assigned to them. "My dormers have graduated in the last semester, and I have yet to find occupants for these rooms. So please feel free to use these comfortably."

Unlike the room for their base which had been cleared of student accommodation furniture, each of their quarters had two single beds positioned in parallel. Extra mattresses were leaning on one side of the wall. There was one sliding window across the door, and a built-in wooden closet was installed on the wall adjacent the door. At the foot of each bed were study tables with respective swivel chairs. The room was rather comfortable and perfect for student dormers.

"This is lovely," said Ayako. Mai inwardly sighed—the older woman looked relieved that they wouldn't have to settle for less. "When I was an undergraduate, I never had to rent because I lived close by the school. If I had to, I certainly would choose a dormitory like this."

"I'll definitely take that as a compliment." Watanabe smiled and looked around. "I take pride in providing students with decent housing, transient or otherwise. That's why I want to address the dormers' concerns—I've taken too much time putting them aside."

"It looks like you're taken by this room, huh, old hag?" said Takigawa.

"What did you just call me?" To Mai, Ayako's flaming red hair just seemed to flare some more.

Takigawa shrugged, unassuming of Ayako's anger. "Then Naru-bou, Lin, and I would take it upon ourselves to have the next room."

Mai was getting worried that Takigawa and Ayako both chose to start bickering while in the presence of their new client, but Naru seemed unconcerned as he looked around the room. Mai watched him open and close the wooden closet and walk towards the window to slide it open. For a while, Mai wondered what he was up to.

"I would like to talk to the students about their experiences relating to this case, if that is possible, Watanabe-sensei," said Naru. He was now watching down the window.

Watanabe looked thoughtful. "I'll have my nephew convene them. Would the afternoon onwards be all right? As it's a Saturday, most students are either in Saturday classes or attending to extra-curricular activities."

"The afternoon should work," answered Naru. He had already closed the window and was walking back outside.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Mai turned to Watanabe. "While we are setting up base, we also need to take temperature measurements of each room. We're concerned about student privacy, so…"

Watanabe gave Mai a kind smile. "Your colleague… Yasuhara-san, was it? He has raised this concern already, and we have given the students a heads-up about this possibility. They were all right with it."

The SPR team had had experience tackling investigations in a bigger scale—like schools. But for Mai, this was the first time they had to deal with a dormitory that houses a lot of individuals. The more individuals there were, the more they would deal with possible privacy issues.

They were leaving the room to visit the other floors—Watanabe explained they would bypass the fourth floor as it looked exactly the same as the second and third ones—when Mai froze. A foul smell of seemingly rotten flesh assaulted her senses, and the edges of her sight were darkening.

Mai attempted to call out to Ayako, who had her back turned to her going out. She was getting more and more nauseous as the foul smell intensified. Her hand managed to grip the doorframe.

" _Take me away from here._ "

Surprised, Mai looked back to the inside of the room. She could have sworn someone was standing there in the middle just now. There was someone—

"Mai?"

Her head snapped back to her companions. Ayako, Takigawa, and Watanabe were all staring at her curiously while Naru's face remained as stoic as a block.

Embarrassed that she spaced out, Mai chuckled. "It's nothing."

The group looked rather unconvinced, but didn't question her any more. Before she stepped out of the room, Mai sent one last look inside.

The nauseous smell was gone.

And there was no trace that someone else had been there.

* * *

DAY 1 14:30  
TOKYO, Bunkyo City

Mai moved the cold icepack she was holding horizontally to the right, then back to the left. She watched the camera lens follow the exact same movement. From the earphone attached to one of her ears, she heard Lin radio in, "That should be fine, Taniyama-san. Thank you."

Finally, she looked around the place. She was in the fifth and top floor of the building, were the cafeteria, laundry room, and study hub were located. The staff rooms were located at the far left of the same floor. It could be because of the timing, but there was no one else in the place but the cafeteria crew.

Besides the thermal camera, different vibration and infrared equipment were set up strategically. Mai was grateful that they didn't have to spend time drafting the building design. Thankfully, Watanabe was able to provide them with an updated blueprint.

She sighed. Finally, she could take a little respite—this was the final floor they had to set up. Her next task was temperature recording, but that could wait.

"That was interesting," said a deep voice from behind her. Mai nearly jumped in surprise. "Did that camera just follow the icepack's movements?"

She was greeted by the kind smiling face of Watanabe's nephew. Mai never thought she would meet someone as tall as Lin—she considered Lin a _giant_ —but something told her that this man was even taller than Lin. He had the same countenance as Watanabe, and he quite resembled Yasuhara except for the black hair color and bowl-cut hair.

Mai avoided the urge to laugh at the thought of Yasuhara in a bowl-cut hairstyle—she'd make sure to suggest it next time—and regarded the man kindly. She bowed.

"Hello, I'm Taniyama Mai of SPR," she said. "And, er, yes. This camera is intended to find cold spots in this area."

The man nodded. _Even his nodding seems kind, what the heck!_ she thought to herself.

"Aunt Emi wasn't able to introduce us before she had to leave," said the man. He scratched the back of his head timidly. "My name is Adachi Akira. I look after this place as much as I can, but most especially on weekdays. It's nice to meet you, Taniyama-san."

Adachi offered his hand, and Mai accepted.

"So you're part of the investigating team," said Adachi. Mai was pretty sure about what he was going to say next, so she decided to echo what he was thinking.

"'You look too young,'" she said, almost passively.

"That's pretty cool," commented Adachi instead. He looked amused at what Mai had just said.

But Mai was not amused. She was embarrassed that she had just run her mouth. "I'm—"

Adachi laughed so gently— _How is that possible? Even his smiling face looks like…_ —and directed her towards one of the seats in the cafeteria. "Let me treat you a drink. You look like you would need some pick-me-up."

Mai felt heat creeping from her neck. First, she put words into his mouth, which was unnecessary. Next, he pretty much complimented her for being part of the investigating team that would look after their concerns. _Now_ he was treating her a drink.

As soon as she sat down, she covered her face with her clipboard. A few moments later, she heard something being pushed across the table toward her. When she checked, it was a cup of tea.

"I meant it when I said that it's pretty cool you work for this kind of group," Adachi started. He was sat across her and was looking at her with a serene smile that just had to remind her of someone. Then he chuckled. "But you're right, too. I thought you look too young. I met your boss just a few minutes ago and boy, he _is_ young but way too mature for his own good."

Mai tentatively took a sip of the tea—it would be more embarrassing to just ignore the offer—and said, "But, uh, you also look young, Adachi-san. At least, for someone managing a dormitory."

The man shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "I'm already 28. Unlike you and your boss that seem like you're high schoolers, I am technically an adult."

Mai avoided his gaze and thought, _Oh man. If only you knew. Naru is a fifty-year-old trapped in an eighteen-year-old's body_.

Adachi paused and looked flushed when he followed up with, "I'm not looking down on you for being young, though! Please don't take it the wrong way."

Mai finally smiled. She felt like Adachi was the kind of person anyone wouldn't be able to get provoked with for a long time. Many times in the past, they had been ridiculed for being too young a group to dive into abnormal problems. It would normally take a lot of patience and proving before people would take them seriously.

"No offense taken, sir," she managed to say. She looked around the area. "How many dormers do you have here?"

"At present, we have 34," answered Adachi. "After the incident over the summer, we were having a hard time getting new boarders."

_Incident over the summer?_

"Uh, what incident are we talking about?" she asked. She had an inkling what it was, but it wouldn't hurt to confirm. "Is this the, um…"

Adachi smiled in understanding. He looked away, thoughtful, as though he was in a trance. "Last summer, we had a female student who committed suicide in this building. She was the third one in under two years."

Mai couldn't be sure, but she almost felt that the look in Adachi's face resembled longing. She gasped.

_It can't be… can it?_

"Anyway," said Adachi. He chuckled. "I hope that the interview later isn't reserved for students alone?"

Mai was speechless as a torrent of ideas were in her mind. She only managed to nod.

Adachi nodded. "That's good. You see, living here in this building 24/7 with the students… it definitely doesn't exclude us from anything abnormal."

"If… If you don't mind me asking, Adachi-san, but if you have experienced odd happenings for a while already, why didn't you ask for help sooner?" she asked. She understood that Watanabe had no prior plans approaching them until cases of self-harm in the building had become worrying and possibly connected, but it appears that not only students were affected.

Adachi shook his head almost regrettably. "I'm, well, an artist by profession. I imagine a _lot_ of things given all the occurrences, but my physicist auntie keeps me grounded." He chuckled shyly. "There _is_ always a reason for each of the happenings, I believed. Until… suddenly there just isn't."

Mai was sorry at how Adachi looked at the moment. He wore a contrite look on his face, as if he could have done so much more had he not taken time addressing the concerns in the building. He looked like he had lost something too important because of his own doing.

"I'm sorry, Adachi-san," she managed to say after a few minutes of silence.

Adachi looked surprised, but he eventually chuckled lightheartedly. "What are you sorry for, Taniyama-san?"

Mai was thoughtful. "I don't really know. I'm just feeling… really sorry right now."

She grew self-conscious when Adachi only stared at her, blinking in wonder. "I mean—"

There was static coming from the earphone she wore and Naru's voice went through, "Mai. Stop idling around and get back to work."

Then there was silence. She gasped and looked at the wall clock near the serving area. It was nearly 15:00.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, Adachi-san!" she said, scrambling to her feet. She took up her clipboard and looked at the unfinished cup of tea on the table. "I have to get back to working, else my narcissist boss would be after me."

Adachi seemed amused at her sudden restlessness. "Go ahead, Taniyama-san. I apologize for taking much of your time."

"I'm sorry if I couldn't bus the chinaware myself!" she managed to say as she jogged toward the elevator. It was embarrassing that she couldn't self-bus, but she would be sorrier if Naru so much as got a hint that she wasn't up her feet any moment yet. "I promise to pay you back sometime. Also, see you in the interview later!"

As the elevator doors closed, she managed to glimpse Adachi giving an amused, albeit bewildered, look toward her direction.

Mai hurriedly pressed the 4F button and belatedly realized that she could have just taken the stairs instead. In her opinion, taking the elevator when going up or down just a floor away was rather foolish. She closed her eyes and bumped her head against the doors.

Then she couldn't feel the elevator move anymore.

_What now?_

She opened her eyes and realized that the lights had gone off. She pulled away from the doors and blindly looked for the elevator's emergency button. To her growing worry, it wasn't working. As if it wasn't bad enough, the sudden cold creeping in felt like a bad omen.

Mai urged herself to relax by breathing in and out calmly and decided to try and reach the base through the radio. She could definitely reach them, couldn't she?

"Lin-san?" she called. She gulped. "C-Can you hear me?"

To her utter luck, or lack thereof, all she heard back was static.

Then the lights flickered. When she thought everything was finally going back to normal, the lights went off again.

She felt her heart skip a beat. It wouldn't have been half as bad if the elevator didn't _sway_ so badly Mai was literally pulled by the feet. She fell so hard against the floor that she worried she dislocated her shoulder.

To her horror, she could feel the temperature drop quickly that she was starting to shiver. Mai attempted to stand up but another strong movement pulled her back to the floor.

She tried to yell to see if anyone could at least hear her.

"Help! Naru! Lin-san!" she called. But she was feeling suddenly helpless. Even to her ears, her calls sounded futile.

It was so dark in the lift that she couldn't see anything, but for a while she thought someone was with her. She stopped screaming and felt closely. Her heartbeat was accelerating so fast she thought she was going to throw up.

Someone else was there in the same elevator, Mai was sure.

She tried to stand up once again only to be pulled down once more. This time, even harder. Mai could have sworn a bruise would start forming along her arms, if it wasn't already. It was then that she realized that it wasn't the elevator's doing she was being pulled down… it was something else entirely.

The cold was getting to her and the darkness wasn't making it feel better. Suddenly, there was something heavy covering her and then—

_DING!_

Mai thought that the onslaught of sudden light could blind her.

"…Mai?"


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

_Mai was crouched, her arms hugging her knees close to her chest. She was feeling really bad and was growing afraid… and she hated that she was feeling alone, too. She had no idea where she was—it was pitch black and cold and hot all at the same time. Her eyes darted warily around but the darkness wasn't giving her sense of where she was. All she could understand was that she was leaning against the corner of two walls, and her feet were touching an adjacent wall. Wherever she was, the area was too small for her._

_She was in a cage._

_She was cold and shivering, but beads of sweat were rolling down her forehead to the side of her face. There was a thin layer of sweat along her arms, and she could feel them stick against the wall. Mai had half the mind to push against what she assumed was the cage's door, but something told her that she shouldn't._

_Never mind that—she_ couldn't _. She couldn't even move one of her fingers._

_Then suddenly, there were footsteps. Mai's heart raced. She tried to open her mouth, wanting to say something, but not even a croak made it through her throat. Something was stopping her from making a sound despite her want to scream so badly._

_The footsteps stopped on the other side of what Mai assumed was the cage's door. The door creaked, as if the person outside was contemplating on opening the door but was hesitating. A few moments later, she heard the sound of metal latching against metal._

_There was a pregnant pause, then the sound of jingling keys._

_Mai was starting to hyperventilate, her eyes widening._

No _, she thought. There were sounds of footsteps again, but this time, it was leaving._ No, don't leave, please.

_The sound of footsteps was fading. Then there was silence._

* * *

DAY 2 1:30  
TOKYO, Bunkyo City

Mai gasped.

She felt the soft sensation of the mattress against her back and the caution of pillows behind her head. Her eyes stared at the ceiling before traveling sideward. On the bed across her, Ayako was sleeping soundly.

She sat up and looked around. Between the two beds, set on the floor, was a single mattress where Masako was laid asleep. It seemed that Mai had been passed out for quite a long time if she did miss the medium's arrival. Her stomach made a suggestive grumble—it seemed she also missed dinner.

Mai hurried to check the designated wall clock just above the room's door and figured that indeed, it was the early hours of the morning. She sighed and decided to do a quick trip to the base before grabbing something to eat from the cafeteria. Nope, she didn't want to go there alone.

Not at this time.

Besides, she had that one weird dream. It was weird, but not something she wasn't used to. However, the experience made her feel like she was claustrophobic even when she wasn't particularly one. And don't get her started with the event in the elevator—

Mai paused. She was already walking along the balcony corridor toward the elevator. Now that she remembered the earlier events, the glaring red light on top of the elevator doors were suddenly daunting. That reminded her…

She hugged herself and felt her arms from beneath the thick sleeves of her hoodie. The falls she had inside the elevator hurt. Any attempts at standing up ensured dropping hard against the floor—Mai was most certain she gained bruises from these. She couldn't quite make what she was feeling when she realized there were no bruises.

Her arms didn't even feel the least bit tender.

The biting cold of late October breeze brought her out of her stupor. She shook her head and resumed walking. For now, she was going to forgo the elevator.

The trip to the base at the first floor was, to Mai's relief, uneventful. The way down the flights of stairs was not odd and let alone eerie. In fact, it was so well-lit she thought it could pass as part of a mini high-end hotel.

Three heads snapped to her direction as soon as she entered the base.

"Hey, Mai, you're awake!" exclaimed Takigawa. He immediately made his way toward her, grabbed her shoulders, and checked her for any physical injuries. "I found you standing in the middle of the elevator staring to space when you passed out. You scared me!"

She blinked. "I did?"

"Scare me?"

"No," corrected Mai. She was most certainly not standing in the middle of the elevator. Her last memory before she blanked was blinding light while she was on the floor. "I mean, you found me _standing_?"

"About that…" It was John. He was sitting on one of the seats beside Naru, who was busy reading something.

Takigawa straightened up and scratched the back of his head. "Actually, Mai, why don't you go sit down first while I get you something to eat? Perhaps Naru could answer your questions."

_Huh?_

As soon as she had sat down on a chair John had pulled for her, Naru closed his notes shut and stared straight at her. Mai didn't want to cower against his gaze, so she stubbornly looked back.

"What is it, Naru?" she asked after a few moments of Naru not saying anything.

When Naru finally spoke, it was curt and straight to the point. "Have you seen Gene?"

 _That_ wasn't what she expected. Immediately after she found out that Dream!Naru was actually Naru's older twin brother, Gene, Mai had grown more conscious the next time she saw him in her visions. The hypersensitivity allowed her almost instantly to know if Gene was anywhere in her dream.

In the past, the only times he wasn't in it were when she would dream about being in a spirit's memory. And every time that happened… it was apparently because Gene would relay Naru's visions to her. She froze and looked at Naru.

"You experienced it, then?" she asked. Naru remained silent. "The dark cage? Being… locked inside?"

Mai heard more than felt Lin stop from typing on the computer while John silently watched them. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Lin turn to them.

"Naru," called Lin. Mai grimaced at the threatening insinuation behind his voice. "What did I tell you about—"

Naru sent the older man a warning look, but Lin persisted. "What if the vision was deadly?"

"It wasn't," said Naru. As if to prove his point, he added, "Right, Mai?"

Mai wasn't even given a sliver of a chance to answer when Lin interrupted, almost in an annoyed manner.

"And if it was? And what if your brother carelessly conveyed it to Taniyama-san?" Mai instinctively shivered when she remembered the Urado case, where she was about to experience getting her throat sliced before it got cut off. "What, then?"

"It wasn't," said Naru almost with finality. The icy stare he sent Lin made the older man shake his head in defeat. Naru gave Mai a calculating gaze. "I'm assuming that Gene is awake if you saw the same vision."

John raised his hand, commanding their attention. "Aren't you able to reach your brother, Shibuya-san?"

Mai smiled at how John called Naru. Despite the recent events and knowledge of Naru's true identity, the young priest still called their boss _Shibuya-san_. It was, at least for Mai, somewhat an anchor to something familiar.

Naru shook his head in answer to John's question.

"I couldn't establish connection with him for a while now." Naru at the lone window in the room that vaguely reflected themselves. "I would have preferred it most if he refrains from being stupid and moves forward already."

A selfish part in Mai wanted Gene to stay, but she understood where Naru was coming from. They couldn't just let Gene not go. For some unexplainable reasons, they couldn't contact Naru's twin brother when there wasn't a case they were working on. It seemed he was in limbo, only awake when they subconsciously needed him.

If they wanted to find ways to get Gene to move forward, the perfect moment would be whenever they could reach him—that was, in instances like this. However, there was another time for this concern. For now…

"By the way, Naru," said Mai after a few moments, "about earlier in the elevator…"

"I'm assuming you saw the vision that time, didn't you?" asked Naru.

"That's the thing, I didn't!" Mai exclaimed. "I only just dreamt about it tonight. But the one in the elevator was a different case."

Naru had now set down his notes on one of the tables and leaned against it. Folding his arms across his chest, he regarded Mai seriously, "After reviewing the elevator's surveillance video, you spaced out almost immediately after entering the lift. In fact, you didn't select a floor."

Mai gasped. "I _what_?"

It was John who continued. "You only entered the lift, Taniyama-san, then waited for the door to close. You stayed there for a good few minutes until Bou-san called for the lift from this floor then found you."

Mai just couldn't believe it. She was so sure the elevator shut down and something pulled her by the feet. She could even feel the pain on her arms. Granted, there were no remnants or physical proof, but she was so certain…

"But I wasn't!" she claimed. "I was so sure I pressed for the 4th floor. I even saw Adachi-san as the doors closed."

Lin quietly urged her forward to show her the screen of one of their monitors. "We asked Adachi-san for access to the elevator's surveillance to see what happened."

Mai stood behind Lin and watched the screen the man gestured her to.

The point of view of the surveillance camera was directly above her, at the back of the elevator car. True enough, Mai watched as herself had entered and vacantly stared at the elevator buttons before the doors closed. She had then stood at the middle of the lift, unmoving. She could only see the back of her head, but she imagined herself staring blankly against space.

It was a good two minutes before the numbers on the panel that showed the current floor moved downward. When the doors opened, Takigawa was outside, and she fell face first toward the man.

Mai couldn't find the words to express what she was feeling. "That wasn't how it went, I swear!"

John sheepishly smiled at her. "To be honest, we thought you were simply sleep-deprived from forcing yourself to go to work too early and just fell asleep standing."

_Excuse you?_

"I'm sorry that I'm someone who _always_ sleeps on the job to the point you all assumed I would just sleep standing in random places." Mai pouted. Leave it to her friends to find something to make fun of her about, no matter how lowkey.

The young priest chuckled and assured her that he was simply sharing in jest, and in true John Brown fashion, apologized unnecessarily.

Naru sighed. "Earlier, one of the dormers shared that such things happen to students, too. To be more specific, it seemed that if anyone used the elevator alone between 2 and 3 in the afternoon, people blank out and claim to experience something else entirely."

"But not every time," quipped Lin. Lin picked up a board with a couple of paper sheets clipped onto it. "We are to assemble everyone according to the kind of haunting, the same way we did in Yuasa High School. Then investigate the common denominator for each."

Both Mai and John nodded in affirmation. It was almost instantaneous for Mai now—for one reason or another—to set aside her personal qualms in the middle of work. It took a lot of willpower and getting used to, but she knew she was somehow improving.

Well, she hoped.

When Takigawa returned with a few snacks for her to munch on, she and John had started rifling through the records of the hauntings as noted from the interviews that Mai had unfortunately missed.

Mai knew that the Watanabe dormitory was rather small compared to others of its kind; in fact, there were less than 40 students and less than fifteen employees. But to her shock, there were quite a number of hauntings to be looked into.

* * *

DAY 2 9:40

Sleep had completely evaded Mai—which was a given because she literally slept for more than 8 hours—so she had volunteered to hold the fort until morning. She encouraged the rest of the boys to rest in their room, with the exception of Takigawa, who decided to accompany her.

Throughout the early hours of the morning, Mai had noted several irregularities in different parts of the building. For instance, the digital thermometers they had just recently procured recorded rapid temperature drop in the third-floor lobby and the common area that joined the communal baths, toilets, and change rooms. There were also rooms in different floors with recorded dropped temperatures.

"There weren't any live trees around, unfortunately," said Ayako, who plopped into one of the seats beside Mai. "And to be honest, are you sure this place is haunted? Everything seems normal to me."

"Come to think of it, you're quite right," said John. "Besides what happened to Taniyama-san yesterday, nothing's out of the ordinary. Although… data and the student testimonies say otherwise."

"How about you, Masako?" asked Mai. According to Takigawa, Masaka mentioned about quite a lot of spirits inside the building as soon as she stepped in, but she couldn't see them.

The medium shook her head. "I still couldn't see them, but they really are here. A lot of them." She paused. "And there are around five that I can feel powerfully."

Mai cocked her head to the side. "Five, huh?"

Takigawa smirked. "What about it, jou-chan? Felt anything? Besides your elevator sleeping situation, anyway."

"I wasn't sleeping!"

"You so were!"

"How about doing your tasks instead of engaging in idle chitchat?" asked Naru, although his eyes were stuck on the page he was reading. "I believe Lin isn't my sole colleague here."

Mai almost laughed at everyone's audacity to look sheepish as they all stood up to do their works. They had earlier discussed their schedule for the day, and she and John were assigned to assemble the students. Before she or John could leave the room, however, Adachi's head poked from the door.

He grinned at Mai. "It's very good to see that you're all well, Taniyama-san. You had me worried when I learned that you fainted in the elevator."

Mai could only return an embarrassed smile. "Sorry about the trouble, Adachi-san. Is there anything we can help you with?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," answered Adachi and calmly entered the room. "I was hoping you don't mind if I talk with you for a while, Shibuya-san. I'd been meaning to do this last night, but I understand that students were the priority."

At that, Mai remembered her earlier conversation with the older man and his wish to personally relay his experiences in the building. While she wanted to stay and listen to his story, she had tasks she needed to do with John.

"Oh, right!" She gestured for the man to one of the chairs. "Would you like tea?"

"Mai, your tasks," Naru deadpanned.

Adachi softly chuckled and assured Mai that he was all right. She sent Naru one last annoyed look before turning to John who was watching her amusedly.

The first group they aimed to convene were those that underwent the same experience Mai did in the elevator. The goal was to find the common denominator among them that could be linked to the circumstances involving the elevator. The next group would be the students that would get locked out or inside their rooms and toilet cubicles even when they were certainly alone. There were also the students who would always get distracted by loud banging and shouting from outside their dorm rooms, only to find that there were no other people outside. The list went on, and Mai knew that the task would take quite a while.

They hadn't gone far yet when Lin bolted from the base and ran toward the stairs. A few seconds later, both Naru and Adachi followed through.

"John, follow us to the third-floor lobby," was the only thing Naru said.

John didn't waste time sprinting after the three men.

Mai, not knowing what to do, went back to the base to see what they were after. She looked for the monitors to find the surveillance assigned to the third-floor lobby. When she did, she gasped.

"Masako!"

There were three figures grappling on the floor. An almost passed out Masako had her back on the floor with a girl sat atop her, strangling her. Mai watched as Ayako desperately tried to pry the girl off Masako, but the suspect wasn't budging.

In fact, she looked intent on strangling Masako to death.

Mai was about to run to their location when finally, both Lin and Takigawa appeared from down the stairs and successfully pulled the girl away. At that point, she made a beeline for the third-floor lobby.

When she was nearing the elevator, however, the elevator doors opened and out went Lin who carried a collapsed Masako. Following closely were Ayako and Adachi. She watched as both Lin and Adachi brought Masako outside—she assumed they were bringing the girl to the hospital. If that were the case, then there was more to the incident than what Mai had just witnessed through the monitors.

A very troubled-looking Ayako noticed her. The woman approached her almost hurriedly and said, "Mai, I will be accompanying Masako to the hospital. I've given Bou-san some warding charms I prepared last night—he would know what to do."

Mai could only nod. "Yes, thank you, Ayako." She watched from the glass entrance doors of the building as Lin settles Masako at the van's backseat. "And please take care."

Ayako sent her a wary smile before making her way out.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the original Evil Spirits series, this story is set in the 1990s. I initially intended it to be in our timeline, but I ended up settling with the 90s. At this note, Shouwa 49 is 1974. I made Yasu use Japanese calendar terms the same way he did during the Urado and Agawa cases.

CHAPTER 4

DAY 2 13:00  
TOKYO, Bunkyo City

Mai sighed, silently making her way to the bed with shuffling gait.

What a day it was, and the sun wasn't even anywhere near setting. After careful after-inspection, the rest of the group concluded that Masako's assailant had been possessed. They couldn't be sure at first, as only Masako could 100% ascertain the presence of a foreign spirit in another person's body. Only when the assailant's roommate made it back to the dormitory were they convinced that the attacker was, in fact, possessed.

According to the roommate of Masako's assailant—who they had found out was named Takahashi Seira—Takahashi had been acting weird for a couple of days already. Granted, the girl had been rather eccentric even in the past, but the unsparing oddity had ticked the roommate the wrong way a few days prior.

"She has become really jaded," the roommate had told them. "Sometimes, we would be chatting in our room and she would suddenly stop mid-way her sentence just to stare at me. Like she's contemplating between sprinting out the room and throwing me out permanently"—she chuckled mirthlessly—"...I don't know."

Lin had managed to debilitate Takahashi before he left with Ayako and Adachi to bring Masako to a nearby hospital. In the end, Naru instructed John to perform an exorcism on the girl while she was unconscious. As soon as John had muttered, "Rest in peace", the atmosphere in Takahashi and her roommate's room had lightened, and they knew the spirit had left Takahashi's body.

Mai left both Takahashi and her roommate a warding charm each, the ones prepared by Ayako. While doing so, John offered his own necklace with a cross pendant to the girl.

It turned out that while the spirit had made Takahashi physically hurt Masako, it was also kind.

John's smile was rather sad. "There's no resistance."

Mai knew what that meant. "The spirit was kind," she supplied. She gave the young priest an understanding smile. "You did well, John."

After the exorcism, Lin and Adachi came back with the news that Masako had gained consciousness, but was to stay for a few more hours until further tests had been conducted. They had to be sure as Masako had been thrashed to the floor rather hard before Takahashi strangled her. Ayako volunteered to stay and accompany the medium.

Mai closed her eyes. Her internal clock was messed up after yesterday's elevator situation, and now she was sleepy. The case had so far proved to be tiring. In fact, they hadn't even gone as far as interviewing the rest of the students, which was her original task before the whole ruckus.

She'd do just one quick nap, and then she would proceed with the task.

She could already feel her breath leveling when the same foul smell as the day prior attacked her senses. Mai's eyes snapped open, her sight greeted by the dull ceiling. The temperature was dropping—that wasn't a good sign.

Slowly, she sat up.

_Is this another dream?_ she wondered. It was getting harder to decipher reality from dreams as time went on.

"Gene?" she tried her luck, anyway.

There was no response.

The smell was getting even stronger to the point that she could nearly throw up. She carefully got up from the bed and warily looked around the room. The blinds had been closed, preventing sunlight from entering the room. But the room was way darker than she would expect, and the cold wasn't letting up.

Mai felt the hairs in her arms and at her nape stand up.

The room felt strangely empty. Admittedly, they were transient boarders and the room wasn't meant to feel "unempty", but Mai couldn't shake off the feeling that someone other than her should be there.

As if there was a force pulling her attention toward it, Mai's gaze landed on the floor-to-ceiling wooden closet installed against the wall adjacent the room's door.

She felt her heart race.

"Is... Is someone here?" she asked, not quite knowing who she was addressing. The foul smell wasn't subsiding.

Silently, she reached the closet. Its doors were shut closed, with a padlock keeping it in place at the bottom. Mai's eyes dropped to the metallic lock.

She gulped. When she looked at her hand, there was suddenly a key in there.

At this point, Mai could hear her pulse against her ears. She wasn't liking where this was going. She coughed as the smell became even more intense—her mouth was salivating so bad and her stomach was turning. She retched—loudly—and her hand held onto the closet door for support.

Still, as if it had a mind of its own, Mai knelt down and inserted the key against the padlock. Her hands were visibly shaking, and she was breaking in cold sweat, but she managed to turn the key nevertheless.

_No, please. Please._

She retched once more, making her eyes tear up.

Mai shakily let out a breath and removed the padlock from where it was latched. As soon as the lock released, the door creaked.

Mai lost her balance and fell back on her bottom, her hands the only ones holding her up from the ground. She squirmed backward, her eyes focused as the door slowly opened by itself.

Her hands reached up to cover her mouth and nose, and she stared, wide-eyed and fearfully, at the horrendous sight that greeted her.

At the bottommost part of the closet, which would be perfect for storing boxes and unused bags, was a deteriorating human body sat in fetal position.

Mai couldn't scream even if she wanted to, and her hands against her mouth tightened. She felt tears escape her eyes.

The peeling skin was attached to the bones and was badly rotten. It was a full adult body, basing on the length of its arms and legs.

To Mai's horror, the dead body's face was staring directly at her. It was deformed and charred and decidedly hideous. All that was left on its face was a terrifying expanse of exposed muscle, tendons, and bones. The eyes were bulging out, the hollow that used to contain them very dark.

Then, its exposed jawbones moved.

_Help me._

" _MAI!_ "

The loud cry of her name brought Mai out whatever it was that she witnessed. She felt her back touching the soft mattress of the bed, and her eyes stared straight back to the dull ceiling.

It was dark and cold and when she looked at her bedside, Takigawa was sat there, looking at her warily.

"Thank goodness you woke up," he said, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "You scared the heck out of me, Mai. You weren't responding to whatever ways I was trying to wake you up with."

Mai felt her eyes heat up with unshed tears. She croaked, "Bou-san."

Takigawa's eyes softened. "Come on, Mai. Let's get out of here, boss' orders. The temperature is quickly dropping to the negatives."

She stared at her blond friend, unable to move just yet. She wanted to go away, run away. But Mai felt paralyzed with fear. Her lips trembled, unheeding of the biting cold, because she couldn't help herself—she began to cry.

* * *

DAY 2 14:00

When Mai and Takigawa arrived at the base, a cup of black tea was waiting for her. John immediately attended to her and gestured for her to take one of the seats. He subsequently gently rubbed her back, telling her that everything was all right.

"You're OK now, Taniyama-san." When Mai looked up to see who said that, she was surprised to find Yasuhara sitting beside Naru.

"Yasu?" she called. "But I thought you're doing your research—"

"Ah, well, boss was impatient and claims he needed initial findings," explained Yasuhara. He rubbed the back of his head. "Which, knowing me, I already have."

Mai, now feeling better than earlier, answered, "Wow, you're quite the efficient researcher as always."

"Oh, come on. This is just me, Yasuhara the great. No need to be too awed." He smiled at her cheekily. "I didn't expect to find you this shaken, though, just one day of not seeing yours sincerely. You truly miss me, huh."

Mai's lips broke into a tiny smile. At this point, whatever tense feeling she had earlier had significantly let up. Yasuhara's narcissism was only a few hair's shy of Naru's, and it was something she quite appreciated, if anything.

"At this rate, you're going to beat Naru."

Someone cleared his throat.

When Mai looked up, she found Naru staring coldly down at her. She bit her lip.

"I mean—"

"The temperature in your room dropped to minus one at its lowest point," the dark-haired teen said, ignoring whatever she was about to say. His eyes didn't leave hers. "What happened?"

It was Takigawa who answered.

"We already expected it, and we're right—she was _sleeping_ , Naru." Takigawa shrugged and sat at the floor beside her. "She was mumbling something and wouldn't wake up, though."

Mai pursed her lips. "I'm sorry if I'm only ever helpful if I'm asleep!"

She wondered how many times she'd apologized about sleeping in the middle of work already. If in each time she earned a hundred yen, she would probably be a millionaire already.

Naru sighed, fingers massaging the bridge of his nose. He didn't say anything, but Mai felt like he could be throwing them out any time now.

Embarrassed that she was annoying Naru again—not like she ever managed not to—she decided to recount what happened in the room when she decided to rest for a while.

"Uh, well, I had a dream," she said. She looked down at her fiddling hands. "I... I..."

Her memories of the dream flashed back to her. The decaying body. The exposed bones and muscles. The hollowed eye sockets and bulging eyes.

She unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself.

"There was a dead person inside the closet," she finally managed to say. Mai heard Yasuhara make a sound, but he didn't interrupt. "It was decaying and I... I think I know her."

No one said a word. When it seemed like she wouldn't be saying anything else, Naru asked, "And?"

She gulped, then looked up to find Naru still staring at her. "It's the one from my dream yesterday. The one in the dark cage. It—It wasn't a cage, it turns out."

She didn't want to relive the scene, or to narrate the details. Mai knew that Naru understood what she was talking about.

Naru nodded, his finger tapping against one of the tables. On his other side, Lin was typing something.

"I see," was the only thing Naru said. Thankfully, he did not force more details from her. Instead, his eyes darted toward Yasuhara. "Any news?"

Yasuhara cleared his throat this time. "About that. I think I may have some information."

Everyone's attention turned to him.

"I'll start with the history," he said. He took out a leather notebook from his backpack and flipped its pages until he found what he was looking for. "This dormitory was initially established during Shouwa 49 by a man named Sato Osamu and was under his administration for about six years until he sold it to Watanabe-sensei's father, Adachi Iki. Watanabe-sensei inherited it upon her father's death ten years later."

Yasuhara pulled out a small cut-out from the notebook and showed it to everyone. In the picture was a traditional looking building. "This place used to be a hostel, until the older Adachi renovated the place into a five-storey building and converted it into a students' dormitory."

Takigawa whistled. "Wow, Watanabe-sensei's family sure is rich."

Yasuhara nodded. "They are. In fact, they are among the wealthiest in the area. I haven't dug deep just yet into the hostel's own history, but I found interesting bits about this dormitory."

At this point, Yasuhara pulled out newspaper clippings and handed them to Naru. "In the last one and a half years, there had been three suicides as we know it. All of them were female students."

Mai gasped, and her head snapped toward John. They exchanged surprised looks.

Earlier during the day, while they were reviewing the list of students who were willing to be interviewed about the hauntings, she and John noticed something about the names. They were all feminine. They confirmed that all the students they were supposed to assemble were girls based on their room numbers—they all resided somewhere in the third and fourth floors of the building.

They only assumed that the list was incomplete, and there were more to follow.

"I have only managed to gather more detailed information about the last one, Furutani Ai." Yasuhara flipped one of his notebook's pages. "She was found hanged from the rafters in one of the bathroom cubicles in the fourth floor. It was summer vacation, and all students in the fourth floor had left. As such, it took a while before her body was found by one of the janitors."

"And the reason?" It was John who asked.

Yasuhara shrugged. "She had only ever left one written word pinned against her study desk's cork board. The police assumed that was it, but it was inconclusive."

"What was it?" asked Mai.

"Snake," said Naru, his eyes scanning the piece of newspaper Yasuhara had earlier handed him.

"Yup." Yasuhara nodded. "Coincidentally, there was something weird and eerily familiar about the first one of the three suicide cases. She also left a note. And it only said _I'm not a rat_."

Mai blinked. She thought hat it was too much to be a coincidence. Indeed, she wondered if the suicide cases had been related after all?

"Again, the police couldn't look too much into it as either note is inconclusive," continued Yasuhara. "But if it really were coincidental, then what funny coincidence it had been that the first case, Hirose Fumiko-san's, had been during Christmas break. She was found days after her death. She choked on her own vomit from drug overdose."

Naru crossed his arms and looked contemplative. Mai, on the other hand, covered a hand against her mouth to prevent a gasp.

"What about the second one?" asked John. When Mai turned to observe him, his face had become rather solemn.

Yasuhara shook his head.

"I have no more details about the second one, as it seemed that her family didn't want to disclose any details except to the police," answered Yasuhara. "The only information about her is that she never left a note, and it took place during spring break last year."

"Another long break," mumbled Takigawa. He was frowning. "Those are too... too coincidental to be coincidences, if that makes sense?"

Yasuhara only shrugged. "That's right. I tried digging in some more, but it looks like I will need some special magic for me to be able to gather more conclusive data."

"Special magic?" asked Mai, her head cocked to the side in curiosity.

The bespectacled teen gave her a cheeky grin. "It's a secret for now."

Mai sighed and thought about her dream again. Yasuhara had never mentioned anything remotely close to what she saw. If that were the case...

"Thank you, Yasuhara-san," said Naru, now straightening up from where he was leanimg against a table. He returned the newspaper clipping back to Yasuharu. "I'd like you to find out anything about what Mai had earlier recounted."

"About a dead body inside a closet, noted." Yasuhara nodded and saluted. "All right, boss!"

Meanwhile, it seemed that both Takigawa and John were still thinking about what Yasuhara had just relayed. Takigawa stood up from where he was sat on the floor and took the chair Yasuhara had just vacated.

"What do the _rat_ and _snake_ in the notes even mean?" asked Takigawa. "Isn't it too weird? And the timing... during long breaks, or when there were limited management staff."

John nodded. His thick brows were furrowed, and he had placed a hand under his chin in contemplation. "The timing is too... _convenient_ , I must say?"

Mai was confused. "Convenient, how?"

Yasuhara nodded, raising an index finger as if they had seen his point. "Exactly. Because what if—just _what if_ , all right?—the timing was intentional? So should the police and family decide to investigate through postmortem exams, the bodies would be too decayed to even reliably examine?"

Everyone gasped.

"In that case..." mumbled John.

Takigawa was already decidedly appalled. "It was murder?"

Yasuhara pursed his lips and shook his head. "I don't think that's quite it. How do I say this..."

Naru sighed, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Assisted suicide."

Mai's eyes widened. Beside her, she felt John stiffen.

"The police had no incentive to investigate the cases as related in any ways," Yasuhara explained. "The notes, or lack thereof, didn't point toward any anomaly. Hence, case closed. But if we look at it in our perspective and the similar circumstances surrounding each, then I agree with Shibuya-san."

Mai shuddered. She definitely didn't expect this meeting to reach this conclusion.


End file.
